Matthew 17:20

Baby

Cloth diapers are a great way to keep baby dry, chemical-free and save the planet from disposable waste. SOFTBUMS cloth diapers are well known for their excellent fit, Made in the USA quality and adjustable leg elastics. One lucky winner will win this Love Blossom shell + floral leggings perfect for Spring and Summer! You can shop at SOFTBUMs at my affiliate below to see their selection. Enter to win below and good luck! Giveaway is open to USA & Canada and ends 5/25.

Disclosure: This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network. Event organized by Mama Banana’s Adventures. Open to legal residents 18+ of USA and Canada. Confirmed Winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Mama Banana’s Adventures is not responsible for lost or stolen prizes. For questions about this event contact MamaBananasAdventures@gmail.com

Like this:

You will find that there are MILLIONS of products to choose from when you start your baby registry. I know as a first time mom, seven years ago, I was overwhelmed by all of the options and choices we would need to make for our precious little bundle of joy! Not only are there lots of different types of things you need, but their are different brands, colors, sizes, etc etc. It’s almost too much to comprehend.

Have no fear my friends… this seasoned momma has a list of top ten products you SHOULD put on your registry. These are things I have used (and am still using) for all four of our children and you can find every single one of these over on The Baby Cubby!

A good quality baby carrier: Ergobaby Original – We use several different types of carriers for our children. You’ll see us using woven wraps, ring slings and soft structured carriers. It all just depends on where we are and what we are doing. The carrier we reach for the most however is the Ergobaby soft structured carrier. You can use this with the smallest member of your family (in our case, Baby Bear, who is currently 7 weeks old) with an infant insert, to the toddler of your family! Bird just outgrew the Ergo, but we were able to use it up until she was 2 years old! You will also find ring slings and stretchy wraps on this particular website, as well as the newer Ergo carriers that allow you to carry facing out (I prefer to not do so, but to each their own!)

Swaddle Blankets: Aden + Anais Organic Swaddles – These are by far the BEST swaddle blankets you could own. They are the perfect weight and just the right amount of softness to swaddle your baby. Our older kids also used these for the longest time as their naptime blankets. They are also amazing to use in the car for those times you have to have naptime on the go – you don’t have to worry about them getting overheated under these! They have the most adorable prints, I’m really digging that fox print!

Nursing Cover : Covered Goods Multi-Use Nursing Cover – If you plan to breastfeed, I always recommend this type of cover. No, it’s not necessary to cover, but I know that I feel most comfortable and more modest if I have the ability to cover. These are great because they also work as a scarf, a car seat cover, and even a shopping cart cover. I know that as a mom of four littles, it’s nice to have one product that has multiple uses!

Reusable Breast Pads : Bamboobies Nursing Pads – I LOVE these breast pads, not only are they super cute, but they are super absorbent and you can just throw them in the wash so you can use them again and again! I never liked the disposable pads because they irritated my skin, so these were the ticket for me!

Breast Pump : Medela Pump in Style Advanced – If you plan to breastfeed, even if you choose to exclusively nurse, it’s good to have a high quality pump. Whether you intend to go back to work or if you want to have a stash set aside, the Medela brand pumps are the way to go. I don’t use mine as much now, but with Boogie and Bubby I used them a LOT in the beginning to set up a stash as a backup and to help alleviate some of the engorgement I had with my body getting used to producing milk. It hasn’t been a necessity the third and fourth times, but I still use it occasionally after nights of SLEEP (hallelujah!) when my little doesn’t nurse as often as usual.

Pacifiers/Pacifier Clips : WubbaNub Pacifier Lovey – Alright, so this isn’t something I thought we would ever use. Boogie, Bubby, and Bird… none of them would take a pacifier. I was their pacifier. Sounds like a blast, right? Well, sweet Bear has thankfully been taking a pacifier a little bit better than his siblings. Mainly in the van, which is a lifesaver because none of our babies have enjoyed being in their car seats at this age! These WubbaNub Loveys are FANTASTIC, they can hug those sweet little stuffed loveys while finding comfort in their pacifiers… perfect. Bear has a blue bear in his Easter basket, but this fox is super cute too!

Burp Cloths : Aden + Anais Burpy Bibs – Burp cloths are a necessity, especially with Bear (he’s a very happy spitter). These however are another product that have more than one use! Those first 6 months of nursing and burping, you can use these as a burp cloth! Then, once your little starts eating solid foods, you can use it as a bib! How cool is that? And even better, these are the same soft material as the swaddlers I listed above.

High Quality Body Wash/Lotion: Tubby Todd Lavender Gift Set – This is one of my favorite bath and body products to use with my littles. Tubby Todd is made with plant based ingredients and natural extracts, you can rest assured that they will be gentle on your baby’s skin and they smell AMAZING!

Soft-Soled Shoes: Freshly Picked Moccasins – When your little starts cruising and taking their first steps, having a soft-soled shoe is ideal. This allows their chubby little feet to continue growing and developing, while still having some protection for the soles of their feet. You may have seen my review of Freshly Picked Moccasins here on my blog. We LOVE these, they are high quality and absolutely adorable.

Baby Utensils : Re-Play Utensil Set – We actually have lots of Re-Play utensils, cups, and plates, but the utensils… they are seriously the best. They are super sturdy, high quality and they are made from recycled milk jugs! Our kids love how colorful they are, we have purchased a variety of colors. These are perfect for the babies learning to use utensils and your older kids. Boogie, at age 6, still uses these!

These are ten of our MUST HAVE products for all of you new parents out there, it’s possible to keep things simple and still have amazing products that will work for your child… especially those that have multiple functions and long term uses!

This post was sponsored by The Baby Cubby, however all statements and opinions are my own and I truly do recommend every product in this post!

Like this:

I realize I have been pretty terrible posting pregnancy updates and such these past few months. To say that life has been a little bit crazy would be an understatement.

Baby Bear finally made his debut in the wee hours of February 21st at 41 weeks gestation. I was having mild cramps all day on the 20th (Monday). Basically felt like mild menstrual cramps, I was able to act completely normal through them. I didn’t even tell my parents, who were in town for the week, they had no idea! I texted Janelle that morning to let her know so she could drive into town and be here for Bear’s birth, we weren’t sure if she would be able to make it but I wanted her to have the opportunity if she could! Justin knew I was cramping, though I told him not to panic, because I knew that nothing was happening yet.

Later in the day I ran to the store to pick up some things for dinner and while walking around the store and in the parking lot the cramping started feeling more significant. We went home, made dinner and after putting the kids to bed I laid down and tried to read to relax. My dear, sweet wonderful husband was being a butt however and being obnoxious of course. The menstrual like cramping started feeling more like mild contractions, and while I tried to time them, they weren’t regular at all. I went ahead and texted Janelle again around 8pm to let her know they were becoming more significant and she headed this way!

The cramping was still very irregular, but becoming slightly more painful. Nothing I couldn’t talk through though. I was dreading having Bear in the middle of the night… I knew that’s probably what was going to happen, but I also knew that I was going to be exhausted and have a hard time catching up on sleep afterwards! It worked out for the best though, because Janelle arrived at our house a little after 11pm and I was starting to feel contractions that I couldn’t talk through. Again, they were still very irregular and it was strange… it seemed like every other contraction was stronger and hard to talk through, while the others were like the earlier cramping. Nothing like my previous births.

When I started having to lean over the counter in the kitchen and the railings on the porch outside to get through those harder contractions we decided to head out. I had called my midwife’s office a little while before Janelle had arrived, and I am pretty sure they didn’t believe that I was going into active labor, so I had to pretty much tell them that we were coming in around midnight and to expect us. Since we moved out of state, the midwives I’ve been seeing have been wonderful, but truly didn’t believe that I would have this baby quickly…

We arrived at the birth center at midnight and I was at 3cm dilated. The midwife wanted to send us home, but not only was I adamant about staying, Janelle and Justin both knew that if we went home we would be turning right back around the moment we got there. I bounced on a birthing ball for a while but then decided that while my contractions were manageable I would lie down and try to rest some. I didn’t really sleep, but being able to just lie there and rest really helped. The midwife came back in at 1am and I was 6cm dilated. Things were becoming more intense at this point and I was no longer able to lay down to rest. I asked to have the tub filled, and during that time the contractions started picking up in intensity and speed. There wasn’t much of a break between contractions anymore and during each I used Justin as my support and swayed through each one.

I was much calmer and in control during this birth than previous births. While my body was obviously doing it’s job and taking over, I was able to talk myself through the pain. When the tub was finally filled I immediately got in and went from sitting on my knees between contractions to being on my hands and knees during contractions. I think I got in the tub around 1:30 or so, but I could be wrong. All I know is that once I was in the tub it was game on! My body only pushed one big time in order for my water to break, I pushed once more and felt his head come out… and then another large push and he was born into the water!

I think I was a little shocked, not only was he born super fast, but he was born much faster than the other three. My births with Bubby and Bird were also fast but I pushed a little longer with them. This was amazingly fast. I got to immediately hold Bear skin to skin and let his cord finish pulsating. By the time it finished I was able to push out the placenta and get out of the tub. Justin was so much calmer and relaxed this time around, he was a great support and I couldn’t be more thankful for him! I’m also very thankful that Janelle was able to be there to pray over us and be an extra support person as needed. She is the BEST Aunt Janelle my kids could have, I’m so glad she and Nathan are our children’s godparents!

Having him at a birth center was amazing, it was very hands off, calm, relaxing and I was able to just bond and love on my sweet boy as long as I wanted. They came in to check on us and do his newborn check up a few hours later. After all was said and done, he was born at 2:06am and we were able to come home at 6:45am. If you ever have the opportunity to give birth at a center, I highly recommend it. It’s the best experience you could imagine and the next best option to a home birth in my opinion.

Baby Bear weighed in at 7lbs 12oz, 19.5″ long on February 21st, 2017 at 2:06am. We are so in love with this handsome boy and he has been such an easy, laid back baby so far. I can’t wait to post more about him in the future! And I’m even more excited to feel like our family is finally complete.

Like this:

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a portion of the sales. These funds are used to support my blog and the expenses required to keep Mustard Seed Mommy running.

Amazon always has great deals, but today they have some AMAZING deals on Graco gear! I’ve listed a few below!

Like this:

When J and I got married we knew we wanted to start trying for a baby right away. We wanted a family but we weren’t sure how many children we wanted yet. I was pretty set on having a large family while J was set on just two or three. I think it’s evident who won that battle!

I was excited about first seeing those red lines pop up on that first positive pregnancy test. And hear our baby’s heartbeat for the very first time. Feel the soft kicks and nudges in the second trimester, and the harder more pronounced movements in the third. Holding that sweet baby for the first time and taking in every smell, yawn and adorable face she made…. so on and so forth. What I didn’t anticipate was how I would feel experiencing our last firsts.

Baby Bear will be our last baby, with that comes a lot of last firsts. The last time I would tear up seeing those red lines pop up on the first test I took. The last time I would hear his heartbeat for the first time. The last time I would feel his first kicks and nudges. The last time I would have a pronounced bump for the first time. I didn’t realize how excited and how devastated all of those things would make me feel. Bear is going to be the last baby I hold for the first time, the last baby I smell and touch and kiss for the first time. He will be the last baby I see smile for the first time, hear giggle for the first time, crawl and walk and talk for the first time.

There will continue to be firsts, some that I have yet to experience. But in this period of my life, I’ll be saying goodbye to the pregnancy first, and soon after the new baby firsts, then the toddler firsts. I’m not sure where life is going to lead us, or what crazy adventures we’ll have as these babies grow and mature… all I know is that I will always look back and treasure all of the firsts from these stages.

Something I’ve learned after having several babies is that you become so busy with the mundane day to day, the cooking and the cleaning, the kissing boo-boos and reading board books that you don’t realize how fast the time goes by. You don’t realize how quickly those firsts will fly by and you learn to appreciate them just a bit more. So mommas, take a moment to treasure those moments, even if you have to take a trip down memory lane to reminisce those magical moments.

Like this:

About Me

Hi! I’m Sarah, I’m a Christian, a wife, a homeschooling momma to my four sweet babies and I am so happy you’re visiting Mustard Seed Mommy. I’ve been a blogger for many years, and I’ve written about a variety of topics but I’m hoping to start really focusing on homeschool topics and faith. Here you will find tips, tutorials, and suggestions for homeschooling and parentings and I hope that you will be blessed by what you read. You can read more about me and my family by heading to the top of this page and clicking the About Tab. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment on any post and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!